CARNEYS POINT TWP. — The Penns Grove High School football team had one of the best, if not the best, offenses in New Jersey history last season.

They set the state mark with 621 points and averaged 51.75 points per game.

It wasn’t going to be easy to match those numbers, and it got a little harder in the offseason. Senior Anthony Robertson was set to take over at quarterback for Nick Elmer, but a knee injury during training camp has sidelined him — most likely for the rest of the season.

“My knee is better,” Robertson said. “I’ve been icing it to keep the swelling down. It actually feels a lot better than I first did it.”

But the knee isn’t completely healing on its own, so Robertson is scheduled to have surgery on Sept. 13.“My doctor said he’s going to do the best that he can,” Robertson said. “I guess if I follow directions, hopefully (I can play by the end of the season).”

The Red Devil offense missed its quarterback Saturday in the season opener against Glassboro. They only managed to put 14 points on the board, and after three quarters they found themselves down, 12-6.That slow start made it even tougher for Robertson to be sitting on the sideline.

“It was tough in the beginning, but I had to stop all the negativity and get positive for my team,” he said. “I knew when my head was down they felt it, too. It’s not like me to come out here and keep my head down.”

Robertson spent part of the game in the press box acting as an extra set of eyes for the coaching staff. But that didn’t last very long.

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“Yeah, but I had to feel grass under my feet,” Robertson said of his choice to head down to the sideline. “I can’t sit in the box, that’s not me. I’d rather scream and lose my voice then just sit in the box.”

The Red Devils ended the game with 223 yards on the ground with most of it coming after halftime. They spread the ball out on the ground, using six different ball carriers — so Robertson’s absence wasn’t seen in the ground game.

His absence was noticed in the passing game, however. The Red Devils only attempted five passes, completing three of them for 24 yards.

It wasn’t easy for Robertson to sit on the sideline, but he’s willing to do whatever it takes to both help his team and get healthy. But that still didn’t stop him from thinking of all the different reasons he wanted to be on the field with his teammates.

“(I wanted to play) so bad for many reasons,” Robertson said. “It’s my senior year, Vince Vinciguerra day, it’s Glassboro. Last first home game of the year.”